Readied actions - Possibly add in?

[Somna]

I know the IE games had options where you could pause if a certain situation happens, so it's definitely not a stretch to think something like Readied Actions could be built in.

 

Readied Actions (in case someone isn't familiar with the term) are from 3rd Edition D&D (and onwards) when you spend a significant part of your character's turn preparing to react to an action -- for example, readying an action to attack the first opponent who tries to cast a spell, or readying an action to move around a corner if someone takes out a bow.

 

I could easily see a party readying actions to scatter from a central point in the party formation when someone not in the party starts spellcasting.

 

The catch is that the ones readying would be moving around at half speed. (So someone readying an action and moving quietly would be moving at 1/4 speed.)

 

It's potentially open ended and obviously useful to some degree, but it's also how some automated stuff work as well (like the Gambit system in one of the later Final Fantasy games), so it could potentially get to the point where the game is playing itself if it got out of hand. Other than that concern, anyone have any thoughts?

[Alexjh]

I don't think you necessarily need such a thing in a CRPG - the merit of it in a turn based tabletop game is clear because its a more chess like experience, so setting up you character to be reactive when something happens is a useful thing, but in a game where everything is happening simultaniously, it might be better to just have optional AI settings for party members you aren't directly controlling at the time, or indeed, just manually get a character to do whatever it is needs done - something you can't really do in tabletop games.

[TRX850]

At first glance, I like the idea. My worry would be party members scattering in an area of the map I haven't fully explored yet, and possibly running into traps or other enemies.

 

If they had an "auto-pause" function like in regular IE games, that would alert you to sudden attacks from ranged enemies or spellcasters etc who appear just on the edge of your vision radius, and you could then decide where exactly you want your party to scatter to.

 

Maybe character movements wouldn't be *as* useful to say, readying a counter-spell (like dispel magic) when an enemy attempts to buff themselves or debuff the party.

 

If a player *didn't* want to use an auto-pause function, that's when things could get "interesting".

[Lephys]

I know it's not exactly the same as what you're describing, but it's pertinent:

 

(From Update #36)

 

• Reversal - Reversal prepares the rogue for the next melee attack against him or her. When it hits, the rogue takes reduced damage and instantly rolls to the opposite side of the target and executes a powerful melee attack. This will even allow rogues to move past enemies that are fully blocking a path.
  

[JFSOCC]

If there are some stock buffs that I use, I think having them readied so they automatically go up during combat can be quite useful.

This touches on one of the (few) things I liked about dragon age, where you had "tactics" slots so you could program your party to act semi-independently.

[TRX850]

If there are some stock buffs that I use, I think having them readied so they automatically go up during combat can be quite useful.

This touches on one of the (few) things I liked about dragon age, where you had "tactics" slots so you could program your party to act semi-independently.

 

I've been thinking a lot about programmable buffs recently. There may be certain battles or areas in which you want to pre-buff your party or yourself multiple times, or with different buff chains, so having a Buff1, Buff2, Buff3 option in the UI could remove a lot of hassle. Provided you have the correct spells in your current spell pool when choosing which buff chain. And if you didn't have one or more of them prepared, then maybe it could just skip those and cast whatever remains in the list at the time.

 

So Buff1 could be:

Bless

Bull's Strength

Haste

 

Buff2 could be:

Mirror Image

Shield

Summon Monster II

 

...and so on. I don't know what would be a reasonable limit to the number of spells in each chain. There's no real advantage or disadvantage to having as many as you like, as long as they are available to you. When you "program" them, you might have to also select where you want it cast. On the caster, center on the party, the party leader, in front of the party, etc.

Edited January 11, 2013 by TRX850

[TRX850]

Btw: when I said "programmable buffs" I meant spells you pre-select from a menu on your spells tab and assign to a list, with a preferred casting order, so you ultimately press one "buff button" right before battle and it handles an entire chain of spells for you. It just replicates you having to click click clickety click for 2 minutes with the game half-paused while you scratch your head and try and remember exactly which buffs you wanted to cast for the upcoming battle, and which order to cast them in.

 

Over time, you will undoubtedly accrue your preferred lists of buff chains, some of which might be quite long and complex. I'd just like to be confident that I have cast everything in the right order to maximize its effects. Of course, you can always do it manually.

 

Edit:

 

What would be useful is having the casting time and spell duration in the buff chain panel, so you could move spells up or down in the list. Longer lasting ones are cast first. Short duration ones last etc.

Edited January 11, 2013 by TRX850

[Somna]

I don't think you necessarily need such a thing in a CRPG - the merit of it in a turn based tabletop game is clear because its a more chess like experience, so setting up you character to be reactive when something happens is a useful thing, but in a game where everything is happening simultaniously, it might be better to just have optional AI settings for party members you aren't directly controlling at the time, or indeed, just manually get a character to do whatever it is needs done - something you can't really do in tabletop games.

 

Readied actions would end up being a kind of optional AI settings, actually, since things like standard and move actions aren't going to translate well. The only limitation is that you can only ready against one situation at a time, however.

 

I know it's not exactly the same as what you're describing, but it's pertinent:

 

(From Update #36)

 

• Reversal - Reversal prepares the rogue for the next melee attack against him or her. When it hits, the rogue takes reduced damage and instantly rolls to the opposite side of the target and executes a powerful melee attack. This will even allow rogues to move past enemies that are fully blocking a path.
  

It isn't, but I think I understand why you are bringing it up -- it's because it's an ability that also tries to counter things, right?

 

If there are some stock buffs that I use, I think having them readied so they automatically go up during combat can be quite useful.

This touches on one of the (few) things I liked about dragon age, where you had "tactics" slots so you could program your party to act semi-independently.

 

I've been thinking a lot about programmable buffs recently. There may be certain battles or areas in which you want to pre-buff your party or yourself multiple times, or with different buff chains, so having a Buff1, Buff2, Buff3 option in the UI could remove a lot of hassle. Provided you have the correct spells in your current spell pool when choosing which buff chain. And if you didn't have one or more of them prepared, then maybe it could just skip those and cast whatever remains in the list at the time.

 

So Buff1 could be:

Bless

Bull's Strength

Haste

 

Buff2 could be:

Mirror Image

Shield

Summon Monster II

 

...and so on. I don't know what would be a reasonable limit to the number of spells in each chain. There's no real advantage or disadvantage to having as many as you like, as long as they are available to you. When you "program" them, you might have to also select where you want it cast. On the caster, center on the party, the party leader, in front of the party, etc.

 

I had forgotten about DA. It could be interesting if Grimoires could also act like a mini Spell Sequencer for buffs. If you're using temporary buffs in it, however, it's might be too powerful if it removed the need to actually cast them -- especially if it's a lot of buffs.

[TRX850]

I had forgotten about DA. It could be interesting if Grimoires could also act like a mini Spell Sequencer for buffs. If you're using temporary buffs in it, however, it's might be too powerful if it removed the need to actually cast them -- especially if it's a lot of buffs.

 

I don't mean spell sequencers, where you "pre-cast" them so that a chain of spells all trigger at once, although that would be cool if we could develop that too.

 

I just mean having a UI button (or three) that you can assign a sequence of buff spells to, with specific order and target location, so that when you start reaching higher levels, and your spell pool increases, so does (often) your preference for buffing yourself with everything you have right before a battle.

 

So instead of buffing your party manually, which gets tedious if you're having to do the same long sequence many times over, you just assign your preferences to a list and click once, and it tries to resolve it for you, while you relax for a moment and ready yourself for battle.

[Somna]

I had forgotten about DA. It could be interesting if Grimoires could also act like a mini Spell Sequencer for buffs. If you're using temporary buffs in it, however, it's might be too powerful if it removed the need to actually cast them -- especially if it's a lot of buffs.

 

I don't mean spell sequencers, where you "pre-cast" them so that a chain of spells all trigger at once, although that would be cool if we could develop that too.

 

I just mean having a UI button (or three) that you can assign a sequence of buff spells to, with specific order and target location, so that when you start reaching higher levels, and your spell pool increases, so does (often) your preference for buffing yourself with everything you have right before a battle.

 

So instead of buffing your party manually, which gets tedious if you're having to do the same long sequence many times over, you just assign your preferences to a list and click once, and it tries to resolve it for you, while you relax for a moment and ready yourself for battle.

 

We'd probably have to see how the buffs work for that thought. If they're always-on passives anyway, it may be a moot issue.

[Lephys]

It isn't, but I think I understand why you are bringing it up -- it's because it's an ability that also tries to counter things, right?

 

Yes. Without getting unnecessarily technical (hopefully), the Reversal ability essentially readies the dodge-180-degrees-and-execute-attack action. It's sort of a readied action (the physical relocation 180 degrees around the opponent) PLUS a counter-attack within a single hybrid "active" ability. I just wanted to reference it in this discussion, as it is official information, and there could end up being numerous similarly behaving abilities in the game.

[TRX850]

I am looking forward to the dive-and-roll-between-your-enemies-legs-and-stab-them-up-the-bollocks maneuver. Heh heh.

 

Just saying.

[Lephys]

I am looking forward to the dive-and-roll-between-your-enemies-legs-and-stab-them-up-the-bollocks maneuver. Heh heh.

 

Just saying.

 

I'll see your dive-and-roll-between-your-enemies-legs-and-stab-them-up-the-bollocks maneuver and raise you one dive-and-slide-backwards-on-your-back-between-your-enemy's-legs-and-forcefully-kick-both-their-knees-in-the-direction-they-aren't-designed-to-bend maneuver, u_u... (It's from the semi-recent Daredevil film, and it's excrutiatingly brutal to watch.)

 

. Really, though, I'm a fan of the actual value of your position relative to your foe's that it seems will be a factor in P:E. In a lot of games, the Rogue's Reversal, as described above, would literally just be a counter with a cool animation, but here, it physically relocates you to the opposite side of your opponent, providing potential advantages for further ability use and general combat strategy.

[TRX850]

I suppose it's a combination of "Tumble" and a "Sneak Attack". The enemy would be possibly flat-footed and undefended from a sudden rear-or-flanking attack.

 

Maybe it's only one of many potential "Dirty Fighting" animations we will see. The "Kneecracker", the "Neck Snap", the "Throw Sand in their Eyes" animation, and so on.